Termination Order: A Team Reaper Thriller
Page 21
The general nodded. “Not for us. We have the ledger, and it will be passed on to the proper people in Poland. I talked to General Jones, and he says that Horn is willing to testify against Jim Forth and Mark Newcomb.”
“Providing that they can find him.”
“Ken Drake is also in custody. The FBI picked him up this morning their time.”
“What about the money and weapons in the house?” Cara asked.
“What money? The general is sending people to pick it up. The money will be put somewhere safe, and we’ll be able to call on it when required. Call it our war chest.”
“I sure would still like to have nailed Marek,” Brick said.
“He’ll get his, Ferrero told him. “There’s too much evidence against him.”
Thurston’s cell rang. She took it from her pocket, hit answer, and said, “Thurston.”
She listened to the person on the other end, all the while under the constant gaze of her team. After a minute or so she said, “Thank you,” and then hung up.
“What is it?” Kane asked. He’d seen that concerned look before.
“Marek gave the Polish authorities the slip. He’s in the wind.”
“Fuck it,” Axe growled.
“He’ll turn up,” Thurston said. “They always do. And when he does, we’ll be there to get him. But for now, let’s get packed up. We’ve got a plane to catch.”
Chapter 21
Karma Beach Club
Indonesia
One Month Later
The sun was starting to set, and the sky was beautiful with red and purple streaks. The couple sat at the bamboo bar, drinking Tequila Sunrises and smiling at each other. The bar itself sat on the sand under an awning constructed of a framework of bamboo poles along with a grass and bamboo thatch. The structure’s supports too were mostly bamboo; thick trunks fixed together to make everything sturdy.
Other couples sat at tables in Balinese chairs, talking, drinking, enjoying what would turn out to be a warm evening. Banana lounges were placed further out on the beach where tourists could sit and watch the slop of the clear-blue waters against the tropical sands.
Set to the right of the small beach was a large screen, set to show one of the latest movies after dark. Behind it was the lush rainforest which framed everything it surrounded.
The couple at the bar ordered another drink. The woman wore a white bikini top and a sarong around her slim waist. The man wore blue shorts and a T-shirt. Off to their right, a man approached the bar, dressed in shorts and a floral shirt. He walked past them and found a seat that he frequented every day at that time. Sitting down, he waited for the waiter to come and take his order.
The woman elbowed the man who turned to look at the new arrival. She said, “Looks like he’s been getting himself a tan.”
“I hope he’s been enjoying it because it’s all about to stop. Let’s go and say hi.”
They rose from their seats, taking their drinks with them. Walking across to where the man was seated, they joined him without invitation. A flare of recognition flickered through his eyes, and he gave a wry smile.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the Reaper,” Newcomb said, making the name sound derogatory. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You’re a hard man to track down,” Kane said. “But we managed.”
The ex-CIA man nodded. After the incident in Europe, he’d been disavowed. As he’d fully expected, but he was good at his tradecraft and was sure that no one would find him here living under his new identity. “So, what now? I’m to be arrested? I picked Indonesia for a reason. No extradition treaty, remember?”
“There is that,” Cara allowed. “But we just thought that after we went through all of the trouble to find you, then maybe you’d just give up and come in of your own volition?”
Newcomb chuckled, his confidence obvious. He’d not been greasing the hands of officials in the local government for the past month for nothing. “I don’t think so. I quite like it here. The weather is nice. The view is spectacular, and tonight they are showing one of my all-time favorite movies, The Sound of Music.”
Kane shrugged. “I guess we had to ask.”
“You’ve asked, now go away.”
Kane and Cara climbed to their feet and turned to walk away. Then, as an afterthought, Reaper turned back. “Did you know she had a daughter?”
Newcomb was confused by the question. “Who?”
“Nicole. She had a little girl.”
“Of course, I knew. But that’s part of the job. She died. It happens.”
And that was it.
Kane and Cara walked away along the beach, the clean sands squishing up between their toes. Newcomb watched them go, a cold smile evident on his face. He reached forward and picked up his newly-arrived drink.
Cara said, “He’s an asshole.”
“He is,” agreed Kane. Then he said, “All yours, Reaper Four.”
Axe’s voice filled Kane’s ear. “Sending.”
The 7.62mm projectile whistled out of the jungle at almost eight-hundred meters per second. It blew through the back of Newcomb’s chair, into his torso, and then out through his chest in a spray of blood. He grunted and looked down at the blood splatter on the glass he held, confused. Then his eyes traveled further to look at the rapidly-spreading patch of red staining his shirt and shorts.
Newcomb looked up, having one final glimpse of the ocean as the light inside his eyes started to fade. Then his head slumped forward, and he dropped the glass to the sand beside him.
“Target down.”
Cara said, “I guess Karma is a beach after all.”
Team Reaper HQ
El Paso, Texas
Thurston and Ferrero stared at the slumped form on the screen before them. The general said, “Well, at least he got his.”
Ferrero nodded. “Any news on Marek?”
“Not yet. The NSA are keeping tabs on all his known contacts. Sooner or later he’ll reach out. And when he does, they’ll get him.”
“Let’s hope so. I hate leaving loose ends. Especially ones that can come back to bite us on the ass.”
Thurston sighed. “Me too. Make sure Reaper and the others get on that plane. I want them stateside within forty-eight hours.”
“Another job?” Ferrero asked.
“There’s always another job.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Los Angeles, California
One Week Later
“I should have been there for her, Reaper. I let her down.”
Kane stared down at the headstone with the name Remy Burton etched in gold lettering at the top. “You couldn’t have known, Axe. None of this was your fault.”
“It don’t feel that way.”
Kane nodded. “It’ll get better. You know it will.”
“Yeah. But I don’t want it to just yet. She was a good kid.”
The cell in Kane’s pocket buzzed. He reached in and took it out. It was a message from Ferrero. Axe looked at him and asked, “We gotta go?”
The team leader nodded. “Sorry. Take your time. I’ll go over to the SUV and wait.”
“No, it’s good. I’ll come now.”
Kane patted him on the shoulder and indicated the headstone. “I think the boss did good, huh?”
Axe nodded. “Yeah. Remy would have liked that.”
A Look At: Blood Rush
A Team Reaper Thriller
A RACE AROUND THE WORLD
Team Reaper has captured Jorge Sanchez, the leader of the Chologos drug cartel. His daughter, Blanca, begins plotting to get her father out of US custody by taking hostages and planting a bomb at a school in New Jersey.
Kane and his crew, having spent three months chasing Jorge Sanchez around the world, race to keep their reputation intact by stopping Blanca and destroying what’s left of the Chologos cartel.
Book four of The Team Reaper series is straight from the headlines. Inspired not only by the El Chapo trial, but the many cases
of cartel leader’s children taking over for their imprisoned parents.
AVAILABLE APRIL 2019 FROM WOLFPACK PUBLISHING
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Brent Towns
About the Author
A relative newcomer to the world of writing, Brent Towns self-published his first book, a western, in 2015. Last Stand in Sanctuary took him two years to write. His first hardcover book, a Black Horse Western, was published the following year. Since then, he has written a further 26 western stories, including some in collaboration with British western author, Ben Bridges.
Also, he has written the novelization to the upcoming 2019 movie from One-Eyed Horse Productions, titled, Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws. Not bad for an Australian author, he thinks.
He says, “The obvious next step for me was to venture into the world of men’s action/adventure/thriller stories. Thus, Team Reaper was born.”
A country town in Queensland, Australia, is where Brent lives with his wife and son.
For more information:
https://wolfpackpublishing.com/brent-towns/